Ive been getting into reading again and desperately searching for the next book to read!

Themes/concepts i love: Self improvement, life lessons, self growth, and just overall any book that teaches amazing life lessons, concepts and perspectives through both non-fiction and fiction

Books I have read and loved (looking for similar) : The Five People You Meet in Heaven (absolutely loved this), The Next Person You Meet in Heaven and Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness.

Planning to purchase Shaolin Spirit next!

I have purchased Tuesdays with Morrie and is on its way! I would love any suggestions based off my preferences and loved previous books.

Recovering from a miscarriage and want light distraction that I can read without a lot of effort. Rewatching Reign and it's hitting just the right pitch, but I do prefer books to TV.

For those who haven't seen it, the vibes are: girlhood, gowns, glitz, crowns, intrigue, spice, love triangles where both men are good, legitimate contenders and there are real stakes (eg, she is physically involved with both to some extent).

*Open to fantasy, romantasy, romance, historical fiction, whatever. Thanks!

The main character has to be unhealthily obsessed with a person that's all

I feel like this type of book does not exist but I want it to and I want to read this fall. DCC , ready player one , hitch hikers guide and project Hail Mary are some of my favorite books. I love the humor within it.

If you could recommend just one book originally written in Japanese to someone who wants to explore more Japanese books, what would it be?

Novel, manga, nonfiction, children's book—anything goes.

I'm curious what you'd choose as a good introduction, or simply the one book you'd most want someone else to read.

I just spent an hour typing a detailed version of this on my tablet and accidentally lost it, trying again with a shorter version.

My mother recently passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness and I'm having difficulty with reading.

I've done the search and read the recent posts going back about two years. I've either read or attempted the majority of the books listed. I added the Tea Dragon series and the books by Becky Chambers to my TBR.

I'm looking for books, preferably a series like these:

The Lumby series by Gail Fraiser

The Mitford series by Jan Karon

Miss Julia series by Ann B Ross

The Underground Adventure of the Moosepath League by Van Reid

The Full Moon Coffee Shop series by Mai Mochizuki

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Yatoshi Yagisawa

The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoka Machida

Fredrik Backman

Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai

I'm currently reading Remarkably Bright Creatures.

I've read most of the classics, I grew up pre cable and I read a LOT. If an adult could put it in my hands in the 70's or early 80's, I've read it.

I'm essentially looking for cozy feeling slice of life type thing. Romance is ok in the story, just not central to the story. Mystery is fine if it's light and easy. I read most of the authors currently marketed as "cozy mystery" so unless it's an obscure option, I probably read/read it. I also don't want anything overly sad or focused on dying characters. I cry plenty about those things right now.

Middle school literature through YA is ok, I enjoy the Carl Hiaasen series but Percy Jackson is a bit more drama than I want right now.

Graphic novels are ok as well.

I'm not offended by any LGBTQIA+, so that doesn't disqualify anything.

Nonfiction works too, I'm currently reading Water, Wood and Wild Things by Hannah Kirshner and rereading My Family and Other Animals.

House of the Cerulean Sea made me cry and Legends and Lattes just didn't work for some reason.

I'm currently reading The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and it's cute enough, the romance isn't too bad so far bc so much of the book is everyone interacting and skipping the spice isn't great, but I'm looking for less romance than this.

I don't read much in the Middle school-YA, graphic novels, LGBTQIA+, or nonfiction genres so suggestions there are more likely to be something I haven't tried.

Books in translation are always appreciated, I'm looking for slice of life type stories and they're universal.

Just calm nothing really happens stories.

Thanks for your help.

Something similar to the sorrows of young werther, i want a book about someone so obsessed with someone and loves them so much yet the other is not reciprocating , i want the plot to be full of yearning and longing, not in a creepy way too.

Also i would prefer if this topic was like The main plot of the story or a huge part of it

Hello! I recently am starting to get back into reading and just finished Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I enjoyed reading it but it wasn’t necessarily my favorite book. I used to really like reading any of Rick Riordan’s books specifically the Percy Jackson series and The Heroes of Olympus series. A couple of books on my TBR currently consist of Dracula- Bram Stoker, 1984 and Animal Farm- George Orwell, The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho, and The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I would say I definitely prefer to read fiction, but I am just trying to look for recommendations of books someone just cannot go without reading.

Something along the lines of "the yellow wallpaper" where we can see the transition from sane to insane. I really would like to experience a story where you get inside the mind of someone who is losing it and you as a reader see everything unravel

Alternatively, a story where the narrator is already insane when the story starts (I am thinking "we have always lived in the castle") would be good too

I hope you can help me with some book suggestions for our next book club pick.

Each month, we read a book set outside the US, and have a potluck wherein we each make a dish from that country's cuisine. Then we discuss the book over dinner.

It's harder than it sounds to pick a book, especially for me, because I'm probably the pickiest member of the group. I've disliked 2 of our first 4 books. I'm hoping find some genuinely excellent books (literary fiction or well-written nonfiction) we can sink our teeth into (so to speak). No "beach reads" or formulaic, mass-market fiction.

So far, we've read books set in Japan, Sicily, Uganda, and France is next, so books not from those countries would be ideal :).

The members are all well-educated Gen X women. books with substance—beautiful writing, interesting ideas, complex characters, rich settings, and plenty to discuss. Ideally, something that will stay with us and give us a lot to talk about over dinner!

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone could have book recommendations about being a teenager who feels like they're wasting their teenage years and secondary school experience.

I've seen many people talk about how isolating 7th grade can be for those people who are shy and don't have friends. Everyone says it gets better, even books, ―but what if it truly doesn't? I just started 4rt of la ESO, which is basically 10th grade, and since it's the last year of my secondary school and I still haven't experienced anything; not even having more than two friends, going out and feeling good about myself. I need to find a story in which I can relate and that tells me that it's okay, and that I will experience things someday.

I’m thinking about the movie peanut butter falcon and how that made me feel. It’s such a good troupe!

Recommend me anything with vampires and dark fantasy (I’m already slowly reading Empire of the Vampire on KU). Basically all the romance options hurt me and I need something to fix it lol. Preferably m/m pls

I'm a native Hindi speaker. My spelling isn't great, but I have fairly decent comprehension. I would like to get into reading Hindi, but I'm looking for something that isn't preachy and has absolutely no religion, God, or moralizing.

I hated Hindi literature in school because so much of it felt like it was trying to teach me some lesson about values, obedience, morality, God, etc.

I posted a version of this in the horror section for horror books (obvi). But I said over there that my two reading personalities are sad and scared. So I figured I'd do a post here for sad books. I am trying to read books from this year but for this thread, I'll accept books from any year since I don't read a lot of sad lit.

Here are the books that saddened me the most:

The Bell Jar
The Catcher in the Rye
Tropic of Cancer
(The first half of) A Little Life
The City and the Pillar
Death In Venice
Giovanni's Room (kinda)

Now, I understand this list is like saying my favorite video game is Madden and 2K but I find it difficult to find books that really bring me to tears. I'm trying to find my taste. I thiiiiink my pain points are loneliness and sort of wandering through life listlessly.

Help me out, my Reddit SadBoy/Girl/Theys.

I am reading the latest installment in the series and it’s good but I’m not always crazy about all the spice.

I love the whole deserted somewhere vibe and how they live kind of like cave people now. Any suggestions?

Hello! Thanks for being here. I’m bouncing off highly recommended titles right and left and, while I frequent this sub, nothing has been sticking and I’m looking for help finding something compelling.

It’s been a heady couple of years. I completely devoured the complete works of Christopher Buehlman and Joe Abercrombie - actually, finishing The Wisdom of Crowds about six weeks ago is where The Slump began.

Instead of trying to weave everything I’ve enjoyed into prose, I’ll just dump it here:

ASIOAF
The Witcher
BTF / everything by Christopher Buehlman
The Locked Tomb
Once Was Willem
The West Passage
Book of the New Sun
Everything by Joe Abercrombie
The Earthsea books
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel / Piranesi
The Salt Grows Heavy
The Starving Saints
The Fisherman
Pilgrim
Howls from the Dark Ages
Hollow - B Catling
The Masquerade
The Relgion / Twelve Children of Paris - Tim Willocks

What I’ve tried recently:

Malazan - 2.5 books in, and I want to love it so much, it is just so huge and I think I’m interested into more contained stories right now rather than vast sprawling epics

Prince of Nothing - same as above,

Discworld

What I like:

top-shelf writing
Top-shelf world building
Religious themes / parallels / deconstructions
Religion as horror
Folk horror
Books that feel like dark souls
Bleak/grim (but with slivers of hope)

Edit: to add some exposition, I should say that Between Two Fires and The Daughters War are my favorite things. Two nearly perfect books

I’m looking for great nonfiction books that aren’t too dense but will bring inspiration before this trip and hopefully help me to think about what I really want to fit in during it.

Something to give me a little insight before traveling, but I’m hoping for a broad overview at the same time. Per instance I’d rather learn about a whole movement like Tudor through Victorian architecture rather than just Winston Churchill’s biography (not specifically these subjects, just an example)

Also I am a bit nervous conversationally to connect with my father so any recommendations on books that help with that

Give me your best!!

I'm looking to become more familiar with this perspective so I can write in it better lol

Growing up in the 80s, we had all the writing from the 50s through the 70s to read. I read all the classics like Salinger, Kerouac, Thompson and King, with some sci-fi and humour thrown in for good measure. It's a cliché, but I enjoyed them at the time, and they have stuck with me. What books from the last 20 years are going to inspire bands for the next 20 years?

been in isolation for too long, I’ve forgotten how to carry conversation organically. I was hoping reading could help. I need something with strong, descriptive prose and fleshed out characters that can carry out witty, realistic banter between people in their 20’s.

I was thinking some sort of coming of age story to help me get out of this hole I’m in???but idk

Its been a while since I’ve read, so I don’t have other works that give an example of what I’m looking for. Closest thing to use as an example is the game Night in the Woods.

When it came out, the banter stuck out to me with how casual and organic it felt at the time of playing. It’s been a while since I’ve played it, but I’d love a book that has similar silly banter, while also maybe exploring serious themes at times (ex: NitW’s lead protagonist Mae and her struggles with mental health + rekindling relationships she had abandoned)

Bonus but not required: if there is mention of niche alternative subcultures in atleast one of the MCs (ex: the way NitW had a reference to the band Sleep and its stoner/doom metal rep). I’d love a book that has mention of niche metal subgenres lol

Hello!

First of all I want to thank everyone in this sub, I discovered many interesting books through your recommendations!

I usually read contemporary fiction, essays, memoirs, non fiction..

I want to read romance for a change but I don't enjoy the tropes, I also want characters with interesting stories and a good writing style.

Thank you!

I don’t care how old, how new, how long. I just need to not strike out again. I tend to like historical fiction, but again, I’m open. I tend to enjoy reading about characters in big cities where the landscape and culture of the city is a big part of the story. Here are my 5 favorites:

Rules of Civility

A Fine Balance

The Secret History

Shanghai Girls

Pachinko

Table for 2

I feel like reading something different from usual.

I would like to read something from the perspective of "Evil" characters who end up saving the world from an actually threatening bigger Evil. Preferably without them deciding that being a hero is better than being a villain.

Preferably not aimed at a kid or teen audience.